Engine starter



1958 J. L. SKINNER 2,857,984

ENGINE STARTER Filed March 18, 195"! INVENTOR, James L. Skinner I wwwnited States Patent fiiice 2,857,984 Patented Oct. 28, 1958 ENGINESTARTER James L. Skinner, Memphis, Tenn.

Application March 18, 1957, Serial No. 646,685

Claims. (Cl. 185-41) This invention relates to a spring powered enginestarter, particularly adapted to be employed in conjunction with smallgasoline motors.

The starter of the present invention makes enginestarting a much easierprocedure by providing a means wherein energy may be stored and thenreleased when desired by a simple manipulation of a lever. Thus, myinvention offers a welcome replacement for the well-known and laboriousmethod of starting a gasoline engine with the quick pull of a rope. Thiswell-known prior method generally requires several attempts before theengine starts, frequently causing the operator to become exasperated,whereas in the present invention the engine may be quickly startedwithout effort.

The principal object of my invention is to provide a spring poweredengine starter including means for easily and conveniently storingenergy and means for releasing that energy to give a sudden spin to theengine in order to start same.

A further object is to provide means for using the power of the engineafter started to wind the spring of the energy storing means so that thestarter is ready for subsequent use.

A further object is to provide in such a spring powered engine starter,means for automatically disengaging the source of energy from the enginemotor after the motor starts.

A further object is to provide spring means, winding means, shift meansfor engaging and disengaging said winding means and said spring means,releasing means for said spring means, and clutch means which couplessaid spring means to the motor while being started and whichautomatically uncouples said spring means from said motor after beingstarted.

A further object is generally to improve the design, construction andefficiency of engine starters.

The means by which the foregoing and other objects of the presentinvention are accomplished and the manner of their accomplishment willbe readily understood from the following specification upon reference tothe accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. l is a side elevational View on a reduced scale of a lawnmower withthe starter of the present invention employed in conjunction therewith.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the starter per so with the winding crankremoved and with the winding unit being shown in disengaged disposition.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view taken as on the line III-III ofFig. 2, with the winding crank being shown in place.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view taken as on the line lV-IV ofFig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view taken as on the line VV of Fig. 3with the winding unit being shown in engaged winding disposition.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary top plan view of the starter showingthedisposition of the upper portion of the windsleeve.

2 ing unit when in the engaged Winding disposition as of Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary view on a further enlarged scale, as on the lineIV-IV of Fig. 3, illustrating details of the clutch means, shown latchedin retracted position of disengagement.

Referring now to the drawings in which the various parts are indicatedby numerals, engine starter 11 includes a cylindrical casing 13 having atop 15, which may be removable. A pair of alined circular openings 17,19 are respectively provided centrally of top 15 and bottom 20 of casing13. A sleeve 21 is journalled in and extends through openings 17, 19 andprojects substantially above top 15, terminating at its lower endsubstantially at the level of bottom 20.

An elongated adapter shaft 23 rotatably extends through inner sleeve 21.The lower end of shaft 23 extends below inner sleeve 21 and casing 13and is provided with an enlarged portion 25 having a downwardly opensocket 27 formed therein. Socket 27 may be bored to the correct diameterto fit on the upper end of a shaft 29 of the particular motor with whichthe starter 11 is used. Adapter shaft 23 is fixedly and removablyattached to motor shaft 29 as by means of set screws 30.

Although in the present drawings, starter 11 is illustrated in use witha conventional power lawnmower 31 having a gasoline motor 23 of whichshaft 29 is a part, it is not intended that the present invention be solimited but it may be employed in other environments, as for examplewith an outboard motor or other internal combustion engines. In fact,the starter 11 is readily detachable as a unit from the motor with whichused, whereby the starter may be shifted from one motor to another. Thuscasing 13 is detachably anchored against rotation to motor 33 bysuitable brackets 34 and by releasing the brackets and shaft set screwsdetachment may be readily accomplished.

On the portion of inner sleeve 21 within casing 13 is provided a drivengear 35 integrally formed with inner sleeve 21 and extending radiallyoutwardly from the For ease of operation a washer 37 may be provided oninner sleeve 21 between diiven gear 35 and top 15.

Interiorly of casing 13 a spirally coiled spring 39 is fixedly attachedat its inner end as at 40 to inner sleeve 21 and fixedly attached at itsouter end to the side wall 41 of casing 13, as at 42. Also interiorly ofthe casing, a driving gear 43 is disposed and adapted to be selectivelyengaged with or disengaged from driven gear 35. Driving "gear 43 ispreferably provided with a greater number of teeth than driven gear 35and is provided with an upwardly extending elongated hub 45 whichrotatably extends through an oblong opening 47 provided in top 15.

A shift lever 49 having a pair of angularly extending arms, a handle arm51 and an arm 53 of shorter length, is pivotally mounted on top 15 as bya pin 54 fixedly mounted on the top and extending through a socket inlever 49 adjacent the intersection of arms 51, 53. The distal end of arm53 is provided with an opening through which rotatably extends hub 45. Acollar 55' is fixedly mounted on hub 45 above lever 49 for holding theassembly together. Additionally, a washer 57 may be provided on hub 45between driving gear 43 and top 15.

The upper end 59 of hub 45 is preferably polygonal in cross section andhas fitted thereon for rotation there with a roller 61. End 59 mayextend above roller 61 to provide a stem for receiving a socket providedin the end of a removable winding crank 63.

An idler wheel 65 is rotatably supported on the upper end of anupstanding spindle 67 mounted on top 15. Idler wheel 65 frictionallyengages the cylindrical lower portion 69 of a wheel 71, which as shownin preferably in the form of a pulley having a V-groove 73 around theperiphery thereof. Pulley wheel 71 is keyed to adapter shaft 23 adjacentthe upper end thereof.

An outer sleeve 75 is fixedly mounted as by means of set screws 77 onthe upper end of inner sleeve21 which extends through amajon portionofthe bore of the outer sleeve. Thus, outersleeve ,75 ,is disposedintermediate casing 13 and pulley 71. Outer sleeve 75 with inner sleeve21 forms a rigid assemblywhich rotates as a unit. Around the peripheryadjacent the lower end thereof outer sleeve'75 is provided with ratchet,teeth 79 which are engaged by a pawl lever 81 having a pawl, arm 83 anda handle 85 angularly extending from arm 83. Pawl lever 81 is pivotallymounted on top ,15 by an upstanding stud 87 fixedly mounted on the topand extending through a socket in pawl lever .31 adjacent theintersection of pawl arm $3 and handle 85. A spring-39 mounted from top15 engages pawl lever-81 tourge the lever into engagement with ratchetteeth 79. An additional spring 91 mounted from top 15 engages handle arm51 to urge the handle arm inwardly toward the center of starter 11whereby the arm 53 is urged away from the center of the starter tothe-position best illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3, wherein it will be seen,driving gear 43 is out of engagement with driven gear 35. Aipulloutwardly on handle arm 51 against spring 91 will move driving gear 33into engagement with driven gear 35, as best shown in Fig. 5, andwillsirnnltaneously move roller 61 into frictional engagement with idlerwheel 65, as best illustrated in Fig. 6. it will be understood that theabove movement is possible since hub 45 is free to shift in oblongopening 47, under the action of lever 49 An enlarged portion 93 of thebore of outer sleeve 75 is provided, with enlarged portion 93 extendingfrom adjacent the upper end of inner sleeve 21 to the upper end of outersleeve 75'. Enlargedportion 93 houses a cam 95 which is keyed to adaptershaft 23. A cam follower pin 97 mountedin, a socket in outer sleeve 75is held ,in engagement with cam 95 by a spring :99 which is interposedbetween the head of the cam follower and a threaded insert 101. A notch1433 is provided in the body of pin 9'7 and is adaptedto receive aplunger 1% which is urged by a springrltl'i against the side of pin 97.

Cam 95 is provided with projections 109 and recesses 111, and at thejuncture of the projections and recesses is provided with shoulders 112for engagement with the side of pin 97. Referring now, in particular toFig. 4, it will be understood the cam action is as follows: Rotation ofcam 95 relative to outer sleeve 75 in a clockwise direction will causecam follower pin 97 to move outwardly as projection 199 moves towardsthe cam follower pin. At its position of maximum outward travel pin 97will be in a position forplunger 105 to engage notch 1413 and hold thepin outwardly, as shown in Fig. 7.

Rotation of outer sleeve '75 relative to cam 95 ina clockwise direction,as viewed inFig. 4, and without cam follower pin 97 being held byplunger 105 will cause on gagernent of the side of pin 97 with one ofsteps 112 and thereby effect rotation of adapter shaft23 with outersleeve '75, thus effectively furnishing clutch means, coupling thesleeve with, the shaft.

To manually wind the springengine starter 11, handle arm 51 isrnovedoutwardly to engage driving gear '43 with driven gear35. Crank- 63. isthen. turned by hand in a clockwise direction as viewed from above thestarter, which turns driving gear 43 in a clockwise direction to drivegear 35 in a counter clockwise direction, similarly turning sleeve 21and the inner end of spring 39, and thus winding spring -59. The tensionin spring 39 is retained by pawl armflb' engaging ratchet teeth 79,

which as above described are carried by sleeve 75.

Tostart the engine, cam follower pin 97 must be in the inward; positionshownin Fig. '4. 'If the cam follower pin is not in this position it maybe released to this position by pulling outwardly on a knob 113 providedon the outer end of plunger 105 which will remove the plunger from notch103 and allow the cam follower pin to move inwardly. The handle of pawllever 81 is pushed inwardly, which will disengage pawl arm 83 fromratchet teeth 79 and release the energy from spring 39 causing innersleeve 21 and outer sleeve 75 connected thereto to rotate clockwise asviewed in Fig. 4. This clockwise rotation will be transmitted to adaptershaft 23 through the clutch comprising the cam follower pin 97 and cam95, as heretofore explained. Adapter shaft 23, being fixedly attached tomotor shaft 29, will cause the rotation of the latter and start themotor.

When motor 33 picks up suificient speed to a point at which the motorshaft 29 is rotating faster than outer sleeve 75, cam will be rotatingin a clockwise direction relative. to outersleeve 75 and cam follower.pin 97 which will cause the cam follower pin to move outwardly under camaction, as heretofore-explained, until plunger enters notch 103and holdsthe cam follower pin outwardly (Pig. 7). Thus, the starting mechanism isautomatically disconnected from the rotating motor shaft 29 .andadapter23- by the overriding action of cam 95 e" if desired, the power of therunning motor 33 may be utilized to rewind spring 39 making it ready forthe next start. This rewinding may be accomplished by moving the handlearm .51 outwardly to engage roller 61 frictionally with idler wheel 65.Since idler wheel 65 is rotating due to its contactwith pulley 71, theidler wheel will cause rotation of roller 61 and consequently drivinggear 43. Gear 35 will be driven by driving gear 43 since the twoare inmesh due to the fact'that handle arm 51 is being held outwardly. In turnrotation of driven gear :35will cause spring 39 to .be wound-aspreviously explained.

If for any reason it; is necessary to crank motor 33 by hand it may bedone in the conventional manner using a rope wound around V-pulley 71.

From the foregoing it is apparent that a convenient and efficient enginestarter is provided which offers many advantages heretobefore notpossible. Thus, the starter of the present inventionis operable withvery little effort on the part of the operator, and the starter maybewound easily. by hand or using the power of the motor. The storedenergy may then be released suddenly to spin the engine shaft to providea quick start of the motor. Additionally, it is apparent that manyadvantageous features are provided in the present invention including anefiective and unique clutch means which automatically disengages thestarter from the motor at the proper time.

I claim:

1. The combination with a motor having a rotatable motor shaft of astarter for the motor comprising a casing, an inner sleeve extendingthrough said casing, an outer sleeve fixedly mounted on said innersleeve exterior to said casing to form a unitary sleeve assembly, saidsleeve assembly being rotatably mounted relative to said casing, a woundspring having one end attached to said casing and the other end attachedto said sleeve assembly to urge sleeve rotation, an adapter shaftrotatably extending throughsaid sleeve assembly and fixedly attached tothe shaft of said motor for conjoint rotation therewith, a driven gearcarried by said sleeve assembly, a driving gear rotatably mounted insaid casing and shiftable into and out of engagement with said drivengear, crank means engaging said driving gear for manual rotation thereofto wind said spring; ratchet means carried-by said sleeve assembly,casing-carried pawl means engaging said ratchet centrically from saidshaft, cam follower means carried by and rotated with said sleeveassembly removably engaging a lobe of said cam, spring means urging saidfollower means toward cam engagement, said cam being rotatable by saidsleeve assembly through said cam follower means upon rotation of saidsleeve assembly in said one direction relative to said cam whereby saidclutch means operably connects said starter to said motor during startthereof, said cam follower means being removable from said cam by theaction'of the cam lobes upon rotation of said cam in said one directionrelative to said sleeve assembly whereby said clutch means operablydisconnects said motor from said starter after the start of the motor.

2. The combination with a motor having a rotatable motor shaft of astarter for the motor comprising a casing, an inner sleeve, an outersleeve fixedly mounted thereon to form a unitary sleeve assembly, saidsleeve assembly being rotatably mounted in said casing, a wound springhaving one end attached to said casing and the other end attached tosaid sleeve assembly to urge sleeve rotation, an adapter shaft rotatablyextending through said sleeve assembly and fixedly attached to the shaftof said motor for conjoint rotation therewith, a driven gear carried bysaid sleeve assembly, a driving gear rotatably mounted in said casingand shiftable into and out of engagement with said driven gear, meansengaging said driving gear for rotation thereof to wind said spring;ratchet means carried by said sleeve assembly, casing-carried pawl meansengaging said ratchet means restraining said spring against unwinding,means for shifting said pawl means away from said ratchet means torelease restraint on said spring whereby said spring rotates said sleeveassembly in one direction; and clutch means interposed between saidsleeve assembly and said adapter shaft for connecting and disconnectingsaid sleeve assembly and said adapter shaft, said clutch meanscomprising an eccentric cam fixed to said adapter shaft, a pin-likefollower slidably mounted in and extending through said outer sleeveinto engagement with said cam, and spring means urging said followertoward cam engagement.

3. The combination with a motor having a rotatable motor shaft of astarter for the motor comprising a casing, an inner sleeve, an outersleeve fixedly mounted thereon to form a unitary sleeve assembly, saidsleeve assembly being rotatably mounted in said casing; a wound springhaving one end attached to said casing and the other end attached tosaid sleeve assembly, an adapter shaft rotatably extending through saidsleeve assembly and fixedly attached to the shaft of said motor forconjoint rotation therewith, a pulley fixedly mounted on said adaptershaft, an idler wheel rotatably mounted from said casing and being infrictional contact with said pulley for rotation thereby, a driven gearcarried by said sleeve assembly, a driving gear rotatably mounted insaid casing and shiftable into and out of engagement with said drivengear, said driving gear including an elongated hub, a roller fixed tosaid driving gear hub, said roller being shiftable into and out offrictional contact with said idler wheel conjointly upon shift of saiddriving gear into and out of engagement with said driven gear wherebysaid spring may be wound from the power of said motor; ratchet means forkeeping tension on said spring upon the winding thereof includingratchet teeth formed on said sleeve assembly and a pawl lever pivotallymounted from said casing in engagement with said ratchet teeth, saidpawl lever being disengageable from said ratchet teeth whereby thetension in said spring is releasable to rotate said sleeve assembly inone direction by said spring; clutch means including an eccentric camcarried by and keyed to said adapter shaft, pin-like cam follower meanscarried by said sleeve assembly and removably engaging said cam,follower spring means urging said follower toward cam engagement, saidcam being rotatable by said sleeve assembly through said cam followermeans upon rotation of said sleeve assembly in said one directionrelative to said cam whereby said clutch means operably connects saidstarter to said motor during start thereof, said cam follower meansbeing retractable against the urging of said follower spring means fromsaid cam by the action of the cam upon rotation of said cam in said onedirection relative to said sleeve assembly whereby said clutch meansoperably disconnects said motor from said starter after the start of themotor.

4. A motor starter comprising a casing, an inner sleeve extendingthrough said casing, an outer sleeve fixedly mounted on said innersleeve to form a rigid sleeve assembly, said sleeve assembly beingrotatably mounted in said casing, a wound spring having one end attachedto said casing and the other end attached to said sleeve assembly, anadapter shaft rotatably extending through said sleeve assembly andadapted to be fixedly attached to the shaft of a motor for conjointrotation therewith, a driven gear carried by said sleeve assembly, adriving gear rotatably mounted in said casing and shiftable into and outof engagement with said driven gear, means ongaging said driving gearfor rotation thereof to Wind said spring; ratchet means engaging saidsleeve assembly for keeping tension on said spring upon the windingthereof, said ratchet means being releasable from said sleeve assemblywhereby the tension in said spring is releasable to rotate said sleeveassembly in. one direction by said spring; and clutch means interposedbetween said sleeve assembly and said adapter shaft for alternatelyconnecting and disconnecting said sleeve assembly and said adaptershaft, said clutch means comprising an eccentric cam fixed to saidadapter shaft, a pin-like follower carried by said outer sleeve, andspring means urging said follower into engagement with said cam.

5. A motor starter in accordance with claim 4, which includes means fordetachably mounting said starter on a motor.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,064,132 Curtis Tune 10, 1913

